Huge structure planned next to M6

It is hoped work will start in spring next year

A giant roadside structure, designed to be as prominent a spectacle as Gateshead's The Angel of the North, is being planned in the West Midlands.

The 85m (279ft) creation would combine a sculptor's work with a 3D advertising hoarding, next to Junction 9 of the M6.

Property developer Opus Land said the purpose of the structure, which would be funded by advertising, was to raise the profile of the Sandwell area.

It is hoped the Sandwell Gateway structure will be ready by autumn 2009.

'Vibrant structure'

A "box" measuring 105m (344ft) x 30m (98ft) would be mounted on top of a 40m-high (131ft) sculpture of eight steel tubes.

The structure, which would incorporate a work of art by sculptor Colin Rose, would be sited next to an elevated section of the motorway.

Mr Rose said: "My aim was to create a vibrant structure with dynamism in the angled elements."

At its closest point it would be 65m (213ft) from the M6.

The whole structure would be elevated on a framework 15m (49ft) above ground level to align with the level of the M6 road surface.

Geoffrey Barrett, a director of architects Crouch Butler Savage, said: "We see this proposal in the context of other major public art structures commissioned in recent years."

He named The Angel of the North, the University of Nottingham's Aspire, Manchester's B of the Bang and Dublin's Millennium Spire as examples.

Announcement board

The structure would be built on the eastern edge of a regeneration site known as Opus 9.

Opus Land said the advertising income would not only pay for construction and maintenance, but also help in funding the completion of the Opus 9 development site and other community projects.

The plans were being tabled by Opus Land at a community exhibition and it was expected a planning application for the structure would be submitted in early autumn.

If successful, work could start by spring of next year.

The Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell would be given a permanent announcement board on the northern side of the structure facing the M6, the developers said.